Chrom had properly risen, self-dressed in his usual choices, silvered-armour glinting in the morning light. Sumia had left to check on Lucy, giving her husband an audience alone with their children in the drawing room.
"Lucina, Cynthia," the Exalt said, simply. "Thank you for coming so quickly. I know it's early."
"It is no issue, Father," Lucina responded. "What did you need us for?"
"A few things," he said. "Well, truthfully, only one thing, but it will involve you both."
The girls were silent for a moment, the silence shortly broken by Cynthia. "Chrom - Father - you know I and the Shepherds are ready to do whatever Ylisse needs," she said, straightening herself. "Luce is too, right?"
"I would expect nothing less," Chrom agreed. "We'll need more than strength to carry this one, Cynthia; we're fighting shadows, for the moment. The New Shepherds will need wits, and a bit of luck, if you are going to get anywhere."
Chrom motioned for the girls to sit, and the three of them sat closely, conspiratorial against the imaginary foe.
"Shadows?" Lucina asked. "Father, you must speak more clearly than Owain if you are to give us your commands."
"Shadows is the best term I can use," Chrom said. "A darkness, somewhere, fleeting for now, and possibly never to develop into anything. I refer to a threat from Plegia that could be no threat at all. I don't know. I have only been told that the possibility exists."
"Plegia," Lucina breathed. "So it is true."
"I don't know what you've heard," Chrom began, "but let me explain what I know; I received word yesterday that the Plegian capital is experiencing massive unrest, and we're not clear as to the cause. Henry is our man in the capital, as you know, but even he doesn't know much, other than that there's citizenry in the streets."
Lucina and Cynthia looked at each other. The frustration in their faces was plain to Chrom.
"Yes, I know what you think," Chrom said. "Again, another trouble from Plegia. I expressed just the same opinion to your mother this morning whilst I was deciding what to do. I think we keep it low-key."
"Low-key," Cynthia said, pouting. "You mean no massed battles, no chance to pull off some more fantastic displays against enemy commanders? I'm disappointed, Chro- Father!"
Lucina grimaced. It was becoming evident from which source Morgan's recent enthusiasm was channelled. "Are you so eager to rush into another war, Cynthia? After the last one? Do you not enjoy peacetime?" She sighed. "Peace... it was so fleeting, in the time before the past."
Cynthia touched her sister's arm, her face serious. "I know, Luce. That's why I lead the Shepherds, now. Peace requires strength. What better to fight for, than a time never to be ruined by... that."
Lucina nodded. "You're right."
Cynthia's solemn expression, rare in its seriousness, lightened. "War's not folly if you know what you're fighting for. If you can win. You knew what leading the Shepherds involves, and I've found out over the last few years what it involves here. Some of us are more fighters than farmers, Luce."
"You never would turn down a chance to save the world, Cynthia," Chrom said.
"You know it," Cynthia winked. "Anyway, Chr-Father! What's your plan for this? As having the Captain of the Shepherds charging in on the back of her pegasus is apparently not an option!"
"Sending a war party into Plegia would cause obvious problems," the Exalt began. "I'm going to find some pretext to have you and the New Shepherds visit Plegia."
"I thought you said marching a war-party into Plegia would cause problems, Father," Lucina said. "The Shepherds might be a small band, but they'll still be noticed; there are a dozen of them, after all. Not to mention, you might not lead them any longer, but those who took up your stead are all still rather famous."
"Some of that might work to our advantage," Chrom pressed. "A pretext, Lucina, not an invasion. We make a pretext for a few members to visit our official Plegian Ambassador. Private news from the capital, a dignitary's birthday, some anniversary celebration of the Democracy with special guests. That gets two or three members of the Shepherds into Plegia's capital, in a way that's public and showy, taking up attention. We send the rest in separately, in pairs, over the next week or so, riding by night and as fast as possible."
"That is clever," Cynthia said. "I like it!"
"Whilst you are there," Chrom continued, "you find out what's happening, what the cause is, and what can be done about it. I know your ambitions, Cynthia, yet I hope this will be more politics than actual fighting. But if things go south, you'll need your friends there too."
"It seems sound to me," Lucina said. Her eyes flashed, suddenly. "Did Robin come up with this plan?"
"No, you two are the first even to know of this report," Chrom replied. "Tell him later of this if you wish, Lucina. I'd have asked him for advice already, but given the past, I'd hate to trouble him about Plegia any more in his life than he's already had."
Lucina relaxed, her worry allayed by the reasoning.
Cynthia stood up. "Chr-ather. Father. I suppose you want me to choose the team?"
"Yes," he affirmed. "Remember, fighting to be kept to a minimum, so choose appropriately. We'll need a few people stay behind to defend Ylisse at home whilst you defend it abroad. That brings me to why your sister is here." Chrom looked at his other daughter. "Lucina, I would ask you to assume control of the remaining Shepherds whilst your sister is away."
Lucina nodded immediately. "Of course I accept, Father."
Chrom paused. "Are you sure?"
"What makes you think I would hesitate, Father?" Lucina asked.
"I thought... I thought you might refuse, due to your family now," Chrom said. "If it were not for mine - well, my family, and the duties of being the Exalt - I would have taken command myself." Chrom sighed. "I suspect I have been relegated to following Emmeryn's example. I'll be stuck at banquets and desks for the rest of my life, or at least until another damn dragon comes along."
"You are all grown up, now, Father," said Lucina, appreciating the irony. "Just as well that Ylisse has a parallel Falchion," her hand touching the sword's strapping. "Father, I appreciate your worries. I also know what being a commander entails. At the moment, my family is... well, grown up," Lucina continued, her face heating up. "I haven't yet had the pl-... privilege, of having my own child just yet. If Morgan were my child in this time yet, I might refuse." She straightened. "As Cynthia said, peace requires fighting for, sometimes. Fighting the Halidom's bandit groups will not be the most onerous task."
Chrom hesitated. The Fell Dragon might be fallen these days, but the memory of the effort still weighed on his daughter sometimes. "I know. It will be good to have your strength again. Just make sure to take Robin with you."
Lucina's face plummeted into a deeper scarlet. "F-father, I didn't mean to infer..."
Chrom frowned. "And I didn't mean to imply. Though, I order you to take Robin with you."
Cynthia snorted. "A tent can be a lonely place, right?"
Chrom smirked, as his daughter turned away in embarrassment. "You're too forward, Cynthia," he said. "But that's not the reason I'm suggesting your husband should go with you, Lucina. As I remember, he used to be quite the field tactician. I wouldn't mind him using his abilities once again... think of it as a working holiday." Chrom laughed. "His head is too full of bureaucracy, these days. And he'd only be miserable, without you."
"Alright, Father," Lucina said, demurely. "What of Morgan?"
"I expect she will be going with Cynthia, whether overtly or undercover," Chrom suggested.
"I don't think she could be kept away," her mother admitted.
"When I gather you on occasions like this, where we discuss secret threats to the Halidom, it can be rather serious," Chrom said. "Lucina - we're friends in this timeline, as well as family. You and Cynthia both. You've saved my life countless times, as well as everyone else's. I know what Robin and Morgan mean to you and I'm glad; it makes me happy to see you enjoying the future we saved together. Take Robin and the Shepherds, and stay out of uncovering any major conspiracies whilst Cynthia is off trying to do just that."
Lucina looked at her father. "Thank you, Chrom," she said. "I'll do my best."
Chrom looked at Cynthia. "You've had the description of the situation, Cynthia," he said, "but I can't think for you on the ground. As I said, I expect Morgan will need little convincing for you to be able to take your own tactician with you, but make sure she goes with you when you leave. I want you to be two steps ahead of the Plegians at all times." Cynthia nodded.
Lucina nodded too. "Morgan's sharp, and you know it as well as Father and I," she said. "Maybe more during a fight. Just make sure you bring her back in one piece."
Cynthia clenched her fist confidently. "You know I will, Luce. We'll smash these Plegians something fierce! Except, um, covertly and that."
"I made the right choice with you two," Chrom said. "Make preparations, but keep it low-key; remember, low-key is the motto for this whole thing. I'll get you both to leave in a few days, at different times, under the pretext of another Shepherd operation or something."
"Okay," Cynthia said. "That'll let me work out who I want to take with me." She paused. "There is one thing, Chr-Father! Does Sum- Does Mother know about this? Who else?"
"Yes, Sumia knows," Chrom said. "Ricken, as well. But it's his job to know these things. No members of the court, for now, and hopefully ever. You'll need to let the Shepherds you decide to take know, of course. Just be circumspect."
Two noises of assent. Chrom made to get up.
"There is one thing I need say, then, Father," Cynthia said quickly, turning serious again, hand staying father. "I once said to you, C-Chrom, that I only wanted to recreate the memories with you I couldn't have with my father when I was younger."
Lucina looked at her sister, shocked.
"Over time, I've come to realise that's not what I want. I mean, I really love you and Sum-Mother, and of course Luce here, even if she is too boring in a fight. I - I said that I would leave once I was born in this timeline," she continued, words coming fast now. "And with Sum-Mother, with Mother a few, a few months along... I felt I needed to say something. Like... I might come back, and you might have settled with your new family, your real family, and not have much space for me anymore."
She blinked back tears, her words coming like a flood. "But I said all that stuff a long time ago, and I'm beginning to think I might have been wrong to say it. Like seeing how Lucina works with little Lucy in this age... and how happy she is with Robin... family is what I wanted all along and I rather like ours. It's dysfunctional, and time-twisted, and Naga knows how family trees even work when you have generations travelling back and forth across worlds. And even if I don't have anyone for myself yet I want to keep going forward rather than back and I'd rather my life be lived as a current thing than a series of memories. I really hope.. it wouldn't be an issue to stay around a little longer, if you and M-Mother and Lucina and everyone else will have me."
Chrom blinked hard. "Of course you can, Cynthia," he said. "Was it ever in doubt?"
"No," Cynthia said, eyes shining, "but sometimes I'm not really sure how I place in this timeline, even after all the time I've spent here."
"I had no idea you were feeling like that, Cynthia," Lucina said.
Cynthia hesitated. "I'm mostly happy, I guess. I just needed to say something, even if now wasn't the best time for it. But I'm glad... glad that it would be alright to stick around."
She did a short jump off her chair, blinking to clear her eyes back to the confident Cynthian expression everyone was used to. "I promise by the Divine Dragon, Father, Cynthia's New Shepherds will make you proud," the pegasian promised, eyes steadying as they faced down Chrom. Her fist shot into the air, and she smiled. "Plegian-pony-princess and gang, to action!"
"Idiot," Lucina hissed, as the wooden door clicked shut behind them, the two girls leaving their father's suite in a trail of blue hair.
"I'm sorry, Luce," Cynthia said, her voice low. "I'm not normally insecure, like that."
"No, you're not," her sister spat. "Should I dye your hair red and call you Severa? That woman throws off such a sense of discontent at being here sometimes. Why didn't you say something before? We've been here for years, Cynthia." Lucina's eyes were sad. "How long have you felt out of place?"
"Not out of place, just out of time," Cynthia muttered, "I meant to say to Father and not you. I don't know. It's just recently. Everyone is so happy these days, settled with their little family groups. Not a condemnation, or anything, Luce. I'm really happy for you. But nearly everyone else fell in love with each other whilst I'm here at the end."
Lucina turned on a heel, and threw her arms round her sister's neck in an embrace. "Idiot," she hissed into Cynthia's ear. "Everyone here in our family loves you just fine. You're just too strongheaded to see it."
Cynthia hugged her sister back, as the portrait Exalts looked on at the two girls standing in their hallway. "Yeah," she sighed, "just not any more, I promise."
The girls decoupled, and their feet shuffled apart, before making the decision to continue walking back. "There are no easy answers in this time, Cynthia," Lucina said. "Naga knows I've found that enough, having a daughter my own age fight with me in the war. Now it's years later and we've grown up with each other as much as I've been a mother to her. It seems to me that the usual family pronouns have gone out the window for us. It's quite liberating, in a way."
"It's like pulling a deck of cards out the box and dropping them on the floor," Cynthia said. "I just feel like the box. I'm glad you're happy, Lucina. Out of all of us, you deserved it the most."
"You are too, I think," Lucina observed. "Happy, I mean. You just hide your worries behind your bravado like we all used to. I won't presume to speak for you. Just promise to tell me if that ever becomes untrue."
"Okay," Cynthia said. "But don't worry. I'll have Morgan to keep an eye on me for you whilst we're away," The pegasian brightened. "So you promise me that you and mister tactician don't have too much fun whilst I take the kiddo off your hands for a few weeks."
Her sister's cheeks blushed faintly. "My daughter already pesters us enough to, ah, make like Mother," Lucina whispered. "So I won't make any promises on that front."
Cynthia stopped, her mouth agog. "Robin really has been corrupting you!"
Lucina kept walking, a small smile hidden on her face. "Cynthia, we are married..."
